Several soldiers killed in attack in central Mali | armed group news

The Malian military said that nine soldiers were killed near Bodio village in Mopti, but local officials said the death toll was even higher.

The military said at least 9 soldiers were killed and 11 others were injured in an attack in central Mali, but local officials said the death toll was even higher.

Moulaye Guindo, the mayor of the nearby town of Bancas Town, stated that Wednesday’s attack took place near the village of Bodio in Mopti, a village between Mali and Al-Qaida and ISIL. The center of violence with associated militants.

“The death toll is high: 16 soldiers were killed, 30 jihadists were killed, and 17 others were injured,” he told Reuters.

Another local official, who asked not to be named, said that more than 10 soldiers have been killed.

In a statement, the Malian army stated that the army repelled a “complex improvised explosive device attack”, referring to an improvised explosive device.

Thousands of French and United Nations troops failed to prevent fighting with armed groups from sweeping through central Mali and spreading to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger [File: Benoit Tessier/Reuters]

Mali has been working hard to contain the fighting that first broke out in the north in 2012, and has since killed thousands of soldiers and civilians.

Malian soldiers and the French army and United Nations peacekeepers who support them are frequently targeted by armed groups in central and northern Mali.

Despite the presence of thousands of French and United Nations troops, the conflict has swept through central Mali and spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Central Mali has become one of the most violent hotspots in conflicts in the entire Sahel, where ethnic killings and attacks on government forces have occurred frequently.

Placing roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices is a common strategy of armed groups in the area.

On September 20, four Malian soldiers were killed by improvised explosive devices in the area. On September 12, another ambush also killed 5 soldiers in central Mali.

The Pro-Islam and Muslim Organization (GSIM), which is allied with al-Qaeda, claimed that both attacks occurred.

GSIM also stated that it was responsible for the attack on a mining convoy in western Mali on September 28, which killed 5 military police. Last month, a French soldier was also killed in clashes with armed groups near the border between Mali and Burkina Faso.

In June 2021, Macron announced a drastic reduction of France’s military presence in the Sahel region and an end to the existing crescent dune operations there.

France currently has 5,100 soldiers in the arid and volatile Sahel region. According to the plan, they will be reduced to 2,500 to 3,000 soldiers.

Since the two coups in the Sahel countries in August 2020, relations between Paris and Mali have been strained. France is also worried about the country’s use of Russian mercenaries.